Right about today would be a great time to see white liberals denounce the actions of their fellow white folks and white supremacists protesting through the weekend. It would be a great time for them to admit that meeting white hate with a listening ear or a “well maybe we should give them a chance to explain” is not enough.

Right about last year, when 45 was running for president, would have been a great time for so-called “good white people” to have important, in-depth, difficult conversations about white supremacy, white violence and anti-black racism amongst themselves, with their friends and with their families.

Right about eight years ago would have been a great time for the nice whites to address the racist vitriol thrown at the first Black president of the United States of America and not use him as a barometer for general, racial progress.

Right about always would have been a great time to address white fragility, cisgender, heterosexual masculinity and the violence, genocide and slavery that this nation is built upon. There is no one in this country who remains unaffected by the pervasive systems of oppression and power. No one.

As a person of color, to see the KKK, white nationalists and Nazis march hood-less, unmasked and spewing vitriolic speech as their faces grow more contorted with rage at the idea that marginalized people are fighting for equity and humanity, is beyond frightening. What hasn’t this nation done to uphold systems which benefit white maleness? The year is 2017 and no, racism hasn’t evaporated, it has been inherited.

Your brothers, fathers, uncles, friends, cousins, co-workers and acquaintances have been fuming, planning, plotting and building movements to push back against equity. Any steps that were made to undo centuries of systemic oppression have been met with the furor of whiteness and fear of a Black and brown earth. These men are not basement-dwelling monsters, no, they are the people you eat with, that you vote for, that you pay for services, that you ignore or underestimate.

What do Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) need you to do in the face of such blatant hatred? We need you to put yourselves on the frontlines of anti-white supremacy protests, we need you to organize resistance which takes into account the radical perspectives of BIPOC activists, advocates, social workers and writers.

We need the good white people to use their social capital to create long-lasting, ever-present change to ensure the safety and well-being of marginalized folks. That means listening to the critiques of BIPOC; donating your resources to help abolitionist movements; donating your money to individual, grassroots organizations; creating safe environments for marginalized communities and individuals at work, at home, in your neighborhoods.

You can donate here to support the legal fund for the Charlottesville, VA anti-racist activists.

Donate to the Black Student Alliance of University of Virginia fund here.

Lara Witt (she/they) is an award-winning feminist writer, editor and digital media consultant. Witt has written for Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, WHYY, Girlboss, The New York Daily News, BUST, Rewire, and more. Witt writes primarily about feminism, racism, pop culture, mental health and politics.
Witt's goal is to provide platforms for marginalized voices with a focus on having other Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) writers tell their own stories and explore their own narratives. As EIC she also wants to offer accessible resources for those who wish to learn more about intersectional feminism and anti-fascist resistance because they believe that education and accessibility are key to an equitable and compassionate future.